Karachi
Pakistan will join over 20 other countries around the Indian Ocean Rim as a participant in mock tsunami scenario exercises on
September 10.
The purpose of this Indian Ocean-wide exercise is to increase preparedness and evaluate response capabilities in each country, as well as improve coordination throughout the region, stated an official at the National Seismic Monitoring & Tsunami Early Warning Centre of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday.
PMD Karachi Chief Meteorologist Muhammad Touseef Alam has been appointed as the focal person in this regard.
“The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and subsequent events in the Indian and Pacific oceans have brought to the attention of the world the urgent need to be more prepared for such events,” said Alam.
This important exercise will test the current procedures of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning & Mitigation System (IOTWMS) and help identify operational strengths and weaknesses in each country, he added.
The exercise, titled Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 2014 (IOWave14), will simulate Indian Ocean countries being put into a tsunami warning situation requiring government decision-making. It builds on previous exercises IOWave09 and IOWave11.
According to him, the exercise would be divided into two stages: in the first stage a destructive tsunami crossing the Indian Ocean from an earthquake source near the Makran Trench would be simulated by international notifications from the Regional Tsunami Service Providers (RTSPs) of Australia, India and Indonesia to designated tsunami warning focal points in each country.
In the second stage – conducted simultaneously in response to receipt of the RTSP notification messages and any national tsunami detection, analysis and forecasting capabilities – government officials will simulate decision-making and alerting procedures down to the last step before public notification. However, due care will be taken to avoid public panic.
The PMD, the National Disaster Management Authority, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Sindh, the PDMA Balochistan, the Karachi commissioner, the deputy commissioners of Badin, Thatta, Gwadar and Lasbela, the Karachi Port Trust, the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, non-governmental organisations, and the print and electronic media will be the participating agencies. Following the exercise, a review and evaluation will be conducted by all the participating countries and agencies.
“We see this exercise as an essential element in the routine maintenance of the IOTWMS,” said Alam. “Our goal is to ensure the timely and effective notification of tsunamis, to educate communities at risk about safety preparedness and to improve our overall coordination. We would evaluate what works well, where improvements are needed, make necessary changes and continue to practice.” Source :
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-271672-Pakistan-to-take-part-in-mock-tsunami-exercises
